Rear Chains

[k9sicem]

When I got my first Cub it was winter time and the chain were already on the Cub. Not only were they on, they were tight and never moved or slipped. I have tried for three years now to repeat the install of the chains and have never been able to get them back on to where they do not move without a lot of bungee cords ( that by the end on the winter have all broken off anyway). Can someone let me in on the secret to getting them on tight?

[jim turner]

let the air out of the tires then install chains as tight as you can then air up the tires

[gitractorman]

Yep, Jim's got you covered. Most folks think they can tighten them up on the tire but the trick is to deflate the tire, install and tighten the chains, then re-inflate the tire.

[larryfoster]

Another of my dumb questions.
Do the chains firt down inside the knobs or treads or on top?

[Rudi]

Larry:

Not a dumb question. It took me a while to figure out why my chains kept slipping into the treads and the Cub losing traction. The chains belong on top of the treads which is where the traction is improved. That is why deflating the tires is so useful - it is a hard go trying to get them chains on top of the treads when fully inflated, can't get em tight enough

[calcub]

While I don't have a snow problem here in California, along with deflating the tire....how about using a chain binder to gain additional tightness when you connect both, the inside and outside links. Don't forget to remove it though!

[Matt Kirsch]

When I put the chains on, I jack up the wheel so I can "massage" the chains into the perfect alignment and get them as tight as possible.

On bigger tires, you don't want the chains drum tight. Centrifugal force slings them out from between the lugs as you drive. Cubs generally don't move fast enough to sling the chains.

[Stanton]

While deflating the tire sounds like it would work great, I just added cross-chains on my existing chains. No matter which links fall down between the lugs, there's always enough exposed chain to get traction.

See here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66006&hilit=+chains

[Bob McCarty]

Stanton, Did you find it necessary to weld those links?

Bob

[Don McCombs]

Anyone else having trouble viewing Stanton's photos?

[(CUB HUT)]

Anyone else having trouble viewing Stanton's photos?

Yep

[Don McCombs]

Seems to be fixed now, for me.

[larryfoster]

Thanks, Rudi.
I'll have to give that a try.
May have a lot to do with the spinning

[Scrivet]

Letting the air out of the tire so you can install chains is another reason NOT to put fluid in the tires.

[lazyuniondriver]

This lazymans way of tightening chains was filmed in Germany but fire apparatus around here have similar units installed. I've seen school buses in Michigan running them too. Would be interesting to see a set adapted to a cub. For less than the price of a cub, there are a few sets on eBay now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPd3O5_SJEs&sns=em